Beyond the Smart Meeting Room: How AI Is Redefining AV Design

AI and Corporate AV Design

The audiovisual industry has entered into a new phase of opportunity with AI. Meeting rooms have become more intelligent, collaboration platforms provide new capabilities, and connected building systems are generating data that can help organizations make better decisions at a faster rate.

It is not about adding AI to AV systems, it is about designing spaces that respond more effectively to the people who use them.

Designing for Intelligent Experiences

AI-enabled AV systems can support automated camera framing, transcription, meeting summaries, voice-driven controls, and more adaptive collaboration experiences. When combined with room sensors and workplace analytics, they can also help organizations understand space utilization, environmental conditions, and patterns of technology use. This information can be used to create a better user experience and increase profitability for an organization. 

A few example considerations for the AV design process are shown below: 

     1. What data should a system collect?

     2. How can we implement AI-enabled systems and still protect privacy?

     3. What security protocols are existing and what should be added prior to exploring AI solutions? 

     4. What processes are currently automated, and what could be automated in the future? 

     5. How can AI improve AV systems? How can they become simpler to install and use? Will this complicate the technology for the end user? 

Why Programming Matters

AV consultants are often brought into the Schematic Design or Design Development phase for a corporate AV project. It can be valuable to invite the AV consultant to participate in the study phase (pre-SD) and discuss programming ideas with the architect and key stakeholders. These conversations can lead to a deeper understanding of existing or future standards, workflow of the organization, and capture what the end user is trying to accomplish with the project. The organization's AI strategy should be included in these early conversations. We find that when we are brought on in the study phase, it saves time, money, and pain points later on in the project.

Opportunities Ahead

AV is already defined less by the number of intelligent devices in a room and more by how effectively those devices work together.

At AVCT, we believe technology should make spaces more intuitive, provide better communication, and enhance the end user experience. AI can help achieve that goal when it is guided by thoughtful planning and purposeful design.

Understanding an organization’s culture, standards, and AI strategy is necessary to provide a more intelligent workspace design. This can help create a better user experience and a more competitive and sustainable organization.